Leominster man arrested for strangling girlfriend, threatening her with knives

LEOMINSTER — On Saturday, May 9, 2026, at approximately 2:15 p.m., Officer Tanner Jakola of the Leominster Police Department was dispatched to 556 Central Street, Lot 179, following a report of a possible domestic incident.

(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Tanner Jakola and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)

“Dispatch advised the reporting party [a 55-year-old woman] was currently seated in her vehicle while her boyfriend, James Squire, was in the residence,” Officer Jakola said. “While en route, dispatch advised James was now outside armed with two knives.”

According to police, James L. Squire, 56, is a resident of 556 Central Street, Apt. 179, in Leominster, MA.

“Upon arrival, [Squire’s girlfriend] was in her vehicle,” Officer Jakola said. “She was crying hysterically. I asked if she was okay and she said yes. [She] told me that James was still in the residence.”

Leominster Police Officer Ronald Olin — who had also responded to the scene — entered the screened-in area of the residence that led to the front door steps.

“James stepped out and I heard Officer Olin tell James to drop a knife,” Officer Jakola said. “I joined Officer Olin, drew and pointed my taser at James and began to give him commands to drop the knife and come down the steps. James threw the knife in the house and came down the steps where he was handcuffed by Officer Olin. James declined medical attention.”

Officer Jakola said he asked Officer Olin to read James his Miranda rights while he spoke with James’ girlfriend.

“James kept asking what he did and if he was under arrest,” Officer Jakola said.

Officer Jakola went and spoke with Squire’s who was still in the car crying.

“I asked [Squire’s girlfriend] to tell me what happened, and she stated the following: James had been drinking for about a week,” Officer Jakola said. “Today, James kept following her around and doing things to make [her] mad. [She] asked him to leave the house and went into their bedroom to find his phone so she could call one of his friends to pick him up. [Squire’s girlfriend] stated that she kept calling James a loser and they were engaged in a verbal argument. James stood in the doorway of their bedroom and would not let her in.”

Squire’s girlfriend said that after some time, Squire moved aside, let her into the room, and she went into the bathroom, Officer Jakola reported.

“James followed her into the bathroom and grabbed the collar of [her] sweatshirt with both hands and pushed her up against the bathroom wall,” Officer Jakola said. “James still had control of [her] collar and used his fists to put pressure on [his girlfriend’s] neck, making it difficult for her to breathe. [She] stated this lasted for about five to six seconds before James let go of her.”

Squire’s girlfriend told Officer Jakola that it took her about a minute after the incident for her to breathe normally again.

“James then grabbed [her] head with both hands and slammed her head against the bathroom wall twice,” Officer Jakola said. “[Squire’s girlfriend] advised that while this incident was occurring, James kept stating, ‘Be nice to me!’ [She] later showed me a video that showed James saying this.”

Squire’s girlfriend told Officer Jakola that the back of her head, her neck, and her shoulders were in pain.

“I did see [she] had some redness on her neck and she reported pain when swallowing,” Officer Jakola said.

Officer Jakola said an ambulance was called to evaluate Squire’s girlfriend and she declined transportation.

“After James let go of [his girlfriend], she locked herself in her vehicle and called police,” Officer Jakola said. “James followed her outside and started to bang on the window and call her names. James then went inside and emerged from the residence with two knives.”

Squire’s girlfriend told Officer Jakola that Squire’s then approached the front of the vehicle holding the knives and stated, “Why did you call the police?”

“[She] advised that James’ conduct made her scared that he was going to use the knives on her,” Officer Jakola said. “James then walked to the end of the driveway and out of sight of [his girlfriend], who believed James was waiting for police to arrive. James eventually walked back into the residence holding only one knife. The police arrived shortly after.”

At this time, Officer Jakola advised Officer Olin that Squire was under arrest.

“James was transported to the station for booking,” Officer Jakola said. Adding, “I did see a blade of a green lettuce-cutting knife on the driveway of the residence. The handle of the knife was later found on the kitchen counter. It is unknown how the knife was broken.”

Officer Jakola said there was also a large kitchen knife in the doorway of the residence.

“[Squire’s girlfriend] confirmed James used both knives in the incident,” Officer Jakola said. “The knives were secured as evidence.”

Officer Jakola said that while he was taking Squire’s girlfriend’s statement, a taxi driver arrived on scene and stated that he had recently dropped Squire off at his residence and he had left his phone in the taxi.

“I secured the phone and handed it to another officer where it was eventually placed in James’ property at the station,” Officer Jakola said. “[She] then stated that James left in his vehicle around 12:45 p.m. and came back around 1:30 p.m. [Squire’s girlfriend] then told him he should not drive while intoxicated and she did not know where his vehicle currently was. I went over the pertinent domestic violence and strangulation paperwork with [Squire’s girlfriend], who stated she wanted an emergency restraining order.”

Officer Jakola said Squire’s girlfriend then followed him to the station.

“On-call Judge Jennifer Melia approved the order,” Officer Jakola said.

Officer Jakola said he provided Squire’s girlfriend with a copy of the restraining order and advised her of the next court date. The order was served to Squire at the station.

Officer Jakola noted that Squire and his girlfriend have a recent history of known domestic violence incidents.

“[Squire’s girlfriend] was arrested for domestic assault and battery on James on March 19, 2026,” Officer Jakola said. “James got a restraining order against [his girlfriend], which was later vacated. The case was dismissed. On March 23, 2026, James was arrested for domestic assault and battery (three counts) on [his girlfriend]. [His girlfriend got a restraining order against James, which was later closed/vacated. The case was dismissed.”

Officer Jakola said Squire’s girlfriend sent him a video she took of the incident, which he was later able to review back at the station.

“It is 10 minutes long, the screen is black for most of the video and the audio is somewhat muffled,” Officer Jakola said. “In summary, [Squire’s girlfriend] calls James a loser and a drunk. They begin to argue and have a conversation about their relationship. At one point, [Squire’s girlfriend] says something along the lines of, ‘Either leave or kill me.’ James asked for his phone and they argue again. [Squire’s girlfriend] says, ‘Don’t touch me, I’d like to go to my room.’ At the 9:04 mark in the video James says, ‘Call me a loser again, don’t bust my balls! Be f*cking nice to me, you f*cking c*nt!’ [Squire’s girlfriend can be heard saying she is sorry. This is where [Squire’s girlfriend] said the incident occurred. James tells [her] that he went to jail for her then tells her to get out. [Squire’s girlfriend] picks up the phone and the video ends.”

Squire was arraigned in Leominster District Court on May 11, 2026. Following his arraignment, Squire was held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing on May 14, 2026.

During the dangerousness hearing on May 14, Squire was found dangerous and ordered held without bail for 120 days, or until Sept. 11, 2026. However, all charges against Squire were later dismissed at the Commonwealth’s request on June 8, 2026, and a hearing scheduled for Sept. 11, 2026, was cancelled.

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Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in May, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.

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